I’m always in search of some healthy snacks for my cavy. And the recent summer heat got me wondering can guinea pigs eat honeydew?
Yes, they can eat honeydew, including rind and seeds. The fruit is packed with a lot of nutrition that the guinea pigs can benefit from.
Like with all small pets, it’s vital to understand the portions and serving tips. So here is all I found out.
Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
1- Guinea pigs can eat honeydew as it is rich in nutrients
2- Honeydew should only be served 1-2 times a week due to its high sugar content.
3- Cavies can eat both the rind and green flesh of a honeydew
Is It Safe For Guinea Pigs To Eat Honeydew?
Yes, it’s safe for guinea pigs to eat honeydew. Cavys love all types of melon, including honeydew, yellow melon, and cantaloupe melon. It’s an excellent as well as a guinea pig favorite treat.
This fruit doesn’t contain any toxins that could harm them.
While there are no toxins, honeydew has a high sugar content. For guinea pigs, too much sugar in their diet can lead to health problems such as obesity and high blood pressure.
Fruit must be excluded from their daily diet but served as an occasional treat.
Besides sugar, honeydew is also high in water content. Too much water will cause the guinea pigs to have digestive issues such as an upset stomach, bloating, and loose stool.
The melon seeds also pose a choking hazard and should not be fed to your pet.
Therefore, you should only feed guinea pigs honeydew in moderation to avoid health issues. Here are some honeydew health benefits.
Health Benefits of Honeydew for Guinea Pigs
Honeydew is a fruit that’s rich in nutrients. [1] It’s high in vitamin C and potassium, while honeydew is a good fiber, folate, and vitamin B6 source.
In addition, this fruit contains compounds with strong antioxidant capacity.
A 1-cup (177-gram) serving of honeydew melon provides:
- Calories: 64
- Carbs: 16 grams
- Fiber: 1.4 grams
- Protein: 1 gram
- Fat: 0 gram
The above data is sourced from NutritionData.
Below are some health benefits of feeding honeydew melon to your cavies:
1- Scurvy Prevention
Guinea pigs in captivity are prone to scurvy due to vitamin C deficiency. Scurvy is a disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin C.
Unfortunately, cavies are one of those animals that cannot produce or store vitamin C in the body. They will need a constant supply of the vitamin each day.
They will start having health issues if they are not fed enough vitamin C. Some issues that will arise from scurvy include painful joint swelling, abnormal cartilage and bone formation, and fragile bone vessels.
2-Keeps Guinea Pigs Hydrated
Honeydew melon is an excellent source of hydration, especially for those hot summer days. This fruit is made up of about 90% water.
It also contains calcium, sodium, magnesium, and potassium electrolytes. This aids in increasing your pet’s water intake.
The combination of water and nutrients is excellent for keeping the cavy hydrated. This is especially great during the summer when it’s extremely hot.
3-Boost Immune System
Honeydew is packed with vitamin C and vitamin A. These vitamins are arguably best known for their role in supporting immune function.
Plenty of vitamin C in the cavy’s diet will help boost their immune system. This will prevent them from getting sick easily. If they do get sick, plenty of this vitamin will help them recover faster.
So it’s essential for the health of guinea pigs. But how do you properly feed them this sweet fruit.?
How To Feed Honeydew To Guinea Pigs?
Feeding honeydew is quite simple.
Slice a piece of this sweet melon and feed them. You can leave the rind to see if your guinea pig will eat. They’ll leave it alone and eat the flesh if they don’t.
If you’ve just adopted a guinea pig or are unsure if they have eaten honeydew, it’s best to test them with a small piece of honeydew first.
Each guinea pig is different and may have an allergic reaction to it.
Start by giving them small amounts of honeydew melon and wait 24 hours. If you’ve noticed an upset stomach or diarrhea, you should stop feeding them any more honeydew.
It’s also crucial to only feed the pet ripe melons; the unripe ones can be a choking hazard.
On the other hand, if the cavies enjoy eating honeydew and have no allergic reaction, you can continue feeding them.
Knowing how much is too much for your pet is also important.
How Much Honeydew To Feed A Guinea Pig?
For baby guinea pigs, it’s best not to give them honeydew. Their digestive system still needs to develop appropriately to digest honeydew.
If you want to give baby guinea pigs some honeydew, it’s best to wait until they are at least three weeks old.
For adult guinea pigs, give them slices of melon. This is enough for the guinea pigs to enjoy this delicious fruit without risking health issues.
Here are some other essential tips in feeding you precious cavy.
How Often To Feed Honeydew To a Guinea Pig?
While honeydew is healthy and nutritional for guinea pigs, it should be fed to them in moderation.
This is due to the fruit’s high natural sugars and water content. Too much fruit will cause health issues such as obesity and diarrhea.
For that reason, it’s best to give a slice of honeydew to your guinea pigs once or twice per week.
Can Baby Guinea Pigs Eat Honeydew?
No, baby cavies should eat honeydew. Their digestive system needs to develop appropriately to digest honeydew.
Instead, they should be fed a guinea pig diet of hay and their mother’s milk. [2] These are what the baby cavies require growing strong and healthy.
Once the baby cavies are at least 3three weeks old, you can try to feed them the melon fruit. Start by giving them a small piece of honeydew and see if they react.
If they start t have diarrhea or an upset stomach, you should stop feeding them the fruit.
On the other hand, if they don’t exhibit any signs of allergy to the fruit and seem to enjoy eating it, you can feed them more.
At this age, it’s best to feed them a small piece of honeydew once a week until they are at least three months old. From there, you can gradually increase it to twice a week.
Here is a video of cavys eating honeydew for the first time.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Honeydew Rind?
Yes, cavys can eat the honeydew rind. The rind has a lot of nutrition like the green flesh does.
Due to the rind being a bit tough, the guinea pigs may nibble on them.
3 Other Fruits That Guinea Pigs Can Eat
1-Cantaloupe
Cantaloupe is similar to honeydew, but it’s much sweeter and has darker-colored flesh. Due to their high content of sugar and water, they could cause health issues.
For that reason, feed cantaloupe to them in moderation. A small piece of cantaloupe once or twice a week is enough.
2-Blueberries
Blueberry is an excellent treat for giving your cavies. You can feed them fresh or frozen blueberries. It’s soft and packed with nutrition that’s healthy for them to eat.
Like other fruits, blueberries should be fed to them in small amounts to avoid health issues.
3-Apples
Guinea pig eat apples as it is a great treat to feed your guinea pigs. It’s full of nutrition and healthy for them to eat. All parts of the apples can be fed to them, except for the seeds.
The seeds should be thrown away as they pose a choking hazard.
FAQs
How much watermelon can guinea pigs eat?
Guinea pigs eat watermelon but it should be fed in moderation. Once every week is enough.
Can guinea pigs have eggs?
No, they can not. Cavies are herbivorous and should only eat vegetables.
Conclusion
Can guinea pigs eat honeydew? YES! Honeydew is packed with nutrition that the guinea pigs can benefit from.
However, the high amount of sugar and water in the fruit should be fed to them in moderation. This means a small piece of honeydew, once or twice per week, is enough for them to enjoy.
So, do you feed honeydew to your guinea pig? Let us know in the comments section!
Sources
- 1.Neerbos FAC, Boer JG, Salis L, et al. Honeydew composition and its effect on life‐history parameters of hyperparasitoids. Ecological Entomology. 2019;45(2):278-289. doi:10.1111/een.12799
- 2. O’Dell BL, Morris ER, Pickett EE, Hogan AG. Diet Composition and Mineral Balance in Guinea Pigs. The Journal of Nutrition. 1957;63(1):65-77. doi:10.1093/jn/63.1.65
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